Cosmetic brand Fashion Fair has teamed up with director Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere) to present Say Yes, a charming and diverse short film powered by beauty, love, and positivity.

Featuring a few familiar faces, such as Lance Gross (Temptation), Issa Rae (Awkward Black Girl), and Lorraine Toussaint (Middle of Nowhere), the 7-minute piece “explores the power of the affirmative, and the beauty that blossoms from embracing life.”

Inspired by a Fashion Fair lip color of the same name, Ava explained why she decided to take on the project:

“I was thrilled to be asked to create a film for Fashion Fair, a brand that has always embraced women of color, and that women of color have so often embraced. The film is a meditation on the power of ‘yes,’ illustrating what can happen when we affirm our family, our friends, ourselves. I also thought about the many ways that Fashion Fair says ‘yes’ to us. Yes to our variance of skin tone, yes to our different ages, yes to our body sizes, yes to the myriad of elements that we are. That’s something worth celebrating.”

In the feature we see an infectious love between Lance and leading lady Kali Hawk, while scores of loved ones — including Lena Waithe (Dear White People / Twenties), director Julie Dash, and Afro-soul singer N’Dambi — celebrate inside.

Author

Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director at Sinuous Magazine who has been designing for 15 years, writing on the internet for about the same, and appears on radio and podcasts as "Lanaé Mc'Levans." Overall geek who is passionate about art, music, technology, fashion, and social change. Serial day-dreamer. Foul-mouthed. Opinionated.